I'd heard the name of Hannah Senesh so many times but only had the
vaguest sense of who she was. This movie beautifully encapsulates her
tragically short life.

With expert use of photos, old maps, black-and-white grainy
dramatizations, interviews with now-aged peers, and context provided by
modern experts on the Holocaust, this documentary seamlessly tells the
story of a Joan of Arc-like young woman who risked her life to save her
people.

The story is told in a painterly and poetic way that seduces and lulls
the viewer.

Though told admiringly, the story may leave viewers with conflicting
feelings about Hannah. I admire her bravery and devotion. Yet I'm
struck by her apparent naiveté. She got caught so early into her
mission -- and with such stunningly incriminating evidence. Had the
Brits who trained her let her down?

The dramatized scenes involving Hannah and her mother -- whom she had
hoped to rescue but wound up causing to be imprisoned -- were
especially compelling. How gut-wrenching it was to see a skirted Hannah
being led away by her God-playing executioners so shortly before
liberation!

Even the epilogue of this movie was intriguing. Read about the fate of
Hannah's mother. Had her daughter's courage and determination saved her
after all?

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